Question 1

Because the 85-year-old patient has had age-related changes in the cochlea,the nurse will:

Accepted Answer

Assisting the patient when ambulating will diminish the risk of a fall.Changes in the cochlea will cause dizziness and ataxia.

Question 2

When the nurse reads in the patient's history that the patient has experienced otalgia,the nurse knows that the patient has:

Accepted Answer

Otic- is the root word for ear,and -algia is the root term for pain of any type.

Question 3

A patient with diabetes says that he needs a hearing aid because he cannot hear well and everything sounds garbled and distant.The nurse's most informative response would be that a hearing aid may not help him because he probably has:

Accepted Answer

The patient with long-term diabetes may have a sensorineural hearing loss that is not helped by hearing aids.

Question 4

The nursing diagnosis that would be most appropriate for a patient having ear surgery is:

Accepted Answer

Patients who have had ear surgery are at risk for vertigo,fluid accumulation,or pressure in the operative ear.Because of the surgery and potential postoperative conditions,the patient may be at risk for a fall.

Question 5

The patient reports her hearing loss has become more severe over the last 3 months.The clinic nurse makes arrangements for an evaluation for a hearing aid by an:

Accepted Answer

Audiologists assess patients for hearing aids.The other specialists treatment ear,nose,and throat (ENT)disorders.

Question 6

When teaching the patient with Ménière disease about managing the disorder,the nurse will stress:

Accepted Answer

The use of alcohol and tobacco products affect the amount of fluid in the middle ear,worsening the symptoms of Ménière disease.The patient with Ménière disease should drink adequate fluid,use antiemetic medications as needed,and conserve energy during the day.

Question 7

The 75-year-old patient has normal age-related changes in his ear that include all except:

Accepted Answer

Otitis externa is an outer ear infection and therefore an exception.The other three options are normal age-related changes.

Question 8

In planning care for a child who has been diagnosed with a hearing impairment and considering the impact of a hearing deficit,the nursing diagnosis that would be appropriate would be:

Accepted Answer

The loss of hearing and the mild stigma associated with hearing impairment places the newly diagnosed child at risk for social isolation.

Question 9

The nurse assisting with a caloric test notes the specific patient response that indicates that the hearing disorder is a problem in the labyrinth,which is:

Accepted Answer

When warm or cold water is introduced into the ear,the appearance of nystagmus is a positive indication that the hearing problem has its cause in the labyrinth.

Question 10

For the nursing care plan for a patient with Ménière disease,the nursing diagnosis that would take priority would be:

Accepted Answer

The nursing diagnosis that should take priority is that of preventing injury to the patient.The patient with Ménière disease is prone to falls because of dizziness.

Question 11

The nurse assessing the results of a Rinne test sees the notation of BC >AC.The nurse translates this to mean that the patient has:

Accepted Answer

When the bone conduction (BC)is greater than the air conduction (AC),the results of the Rinne test will read,BC>AC,which meAnswer the patient has a conductive hearing loss.The normal finding for the Rinne test is that AC is greater than BC (AC>BC).

Question 12

The 75-year-old patient complains to the nurse that although she has cleaned her ears with cotton-tipped applicators for weeks,she still cannot hear her television unless the volume is loud and she misses a great deal of conversations.On examining her ears,the nurse anticipates:

Accepted Answer

Obstruction of the external canal with cerumen will result in a hearing loss.Cleaning ears with something like an applicator will pack the cerumen in the canal.

Question 13

The patient undergoing a Weber test says that the sound is louder in her left ear.This means that the patient has:

Accepted Answer

With the Weber test,a conductive hearing loss is determined by the sound being heard loudest in the affected ear.

Question 14

When providing patient-teaching information for a patient who will be self-administering ear drops for an ear infection,the nurse would instruct the patient to:

Accepted Answer

The head is kept in an upward position to ensure that the drops penetrate deep into the external ear.

Question 15

A significant instruction to a patient being discharged after ear surgery is to:

Accepted Answer

The patient should avoid blowing the nose to prevent backpressure in the eustachian tube.He or she should take stool softeners,limit activity until balance returns,and delay shampooing.

Question 16

The nursing report on a newly admitted patient who is profoundly deaf says that the patient is confused and difficult to assess because she does not appropriately respond to questions or sometimes fails to respond at all.The oncoming nurse will initially:

Accepted Answer

Profoundly deaf persons can be mistakenly assessed as being confused or disoriented when not wearing their hearing aids.

Question 17

When a patient has a suspected vestibular disorder,the physician orders an electronystagmography test.The nursing instruction for this test will include:

Accepted Answer

Electronystagmography is used to detect vestibular lesions and requires a 3-hour period of NPO before the test.Coffee and tea should also be avoided before the test.

Question 18

When irrigating a patient's ear,the nurse will:

Accepted Answer

The irrigation is done with warm water using a small-tipped syringe.The flow is directed upward.If the cerumen does not wash out,the procedure can be repeated but with the same water temperature.

Question 19

Because the 94-year-old patient is receiving gentamicin sulfate (Garamycin)in a continuous intravenous (IV)infusion,the nurse will add to the nursing care plan the diagnosis,"Risk for injury" and will make implementation of:

Accepted Answer

Reduced urine output would cause the drug to stay in the system rather than being excreted,which could result in a drug saturation.Gentamicin is ototoxic and can cause hearing impairment.

Question 20

When making the initial assessment on a patient with a hearing deficit,the patient reports that he often feels off balance and is dizzy when he stands up.These symptoms could be explained by:

Accepted Answer

A sinus infection can be an acute cause of hearing deficits and can create problems with balance.

Quiz 52: Ear and Hearing Disorders